AIRSOFT INSIDER AT THE SHOT SHOW

Welcome to the Main event!

Lock up your wallets and grab your bump helmets.I am at the Sands Expo Center in beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada for SHOT Show 2016. You may be asking, “What is SHOT show?” It is the largest trade show for shooting sports in the world and the fifth largest trade show in Las Vegas. SHOT Show features more than 1,600 exhibitors filling booth space covering 630,000 net square feet. The show, which is a trade-only event, attracts more than 62,000 industry professionals from all 50 states and 100 countries. Some refer to it as the holy grail of the shooting industry.

Why go? If you are a professional or business revolving around the shooting sports, it is the place to break into the industry, showcase new and existing products for the media, and to sell those products to dealers. My purpose there is to reinforce friendships, establish new business relationships, and show what an average tactical beard does when he is there. Grab your ruck, eyepro, and MRE jalapeño cheese snacks because it’s about to get dangerous.

Our first stop is the LBT/LBX booth to meet my friend, Bo “BIG SILVA” Stewart, co-creator of American MilSim (AMS), and the man behind the brand LBX. I wanted to discuss what was new for LBX and what was in store for AMS events in 2016.

PTS Unity Tactical Atom Slide kit for TM G series Pistols.

New for 2016 will be the LBX assaulter uniform available in woodland or M81 for all you old school guys. This is just a prototype and may or may not be the final design for 2016. LBT/LBX was also awarded the Mexican Army Uniform contract and you may be seeing delays of this product until that contract is met. Also worth mentioning is the LBX 0300s plate carrier. It is the smaller version of the 0300 and will be just right for you smaller guys so you can stay comfortable for extended periods of time.

We also discussed two events for AMS which have already been announced. First, Operation Iron Horse, which will be at the Guardian Center on February 27 and 28, located in Perry, Georgia . This will be a new AO of AMS and has countless multi-story buildings and a subway system. It is sure to be a great event. Then AMS returns to Playas, New Mexico for Operation Copperhead II on March 19 and 20. AMS Operation Copperhead was an amazing event in 2015 and I am personally looking forward to returning. These are two amazing events for 2016 that you’ll not want to miss out on. You can find your tickets or further information at AmericanMilSim.com or through their Facebook page, Facebook.com/AmericanMilSim.

M12 Sidewinder Speedloader with Open Source Magazine adapters.

Next, we were off to Action Sport Games (ASG) to meet with Bob Li. I first meet Bob a year ago at SHOT show and also shared the field with him in 2015 at Operation Lion Claws K2 Marine charity event at Camp Pendleton.

First up, the new OEM-released collaborative project from ASG/ Wolverine Airsoft : the CZ Scorpion EVO 3A1 Inferno. It has a custom designed trigger board that retains all the features and functionality of the original EVO gearbox. It also comes with
the performance and reliability of the Wolverine Inferno HPA Engine. No set MSRP yet, but be on the lookout for this at your favorite retailer.

ASG/Wolverine Airsoft Scorpion EVO 3A1 inferno OEM HPA system.

Next on the plate is the CZ SP-01 Shadow Pistol. Their price, in my opinion, is undervalued, coming in around 90 USD MSRP for the quality and 1:1 matching of the real steel variant training pistol. Some of the features are a metal slide and frame, fiber optic front sight and blackout rear sight. With fully licensed CZ trademarks, it is also available in green gas and CO2 versions.

Modify XTC gearbox with Adjustable FPS quick-change spring guide.

Last but not least, the long awaited CZ BREN 805 rifle. I got a sneak peak of the

Close up of Modify XTC Billiet Aluminium body and 45 degree selector.

prototype version of this rifle at 2015 SHOT Show, and it has come a long way since then.

Some of its features are a CNC machined Aluminum monolithic upper receiver, ambidextrous controls, and swappable modular magazine housing which can use either CZ or Stanag magazines and a collapsible butt stock.

You’re probably seeing a trend here. There is no time to waste when at SHOT show. I can’t truly express how large of a show it is and how easy it is to get lost amongst all the shiny tactical things that the show has to offer. Speaking of Shiny Tactical things brings me to Brian Holt of Jag Precision/ECHO1/Madbull fame and boy, did we have a lot to talk about! From new products, to pending legislation in the state of Massachusetts, to our shared experience at MilSim West TKO in Victorville, California, where Brian was using a blank firing .50 Cal. But let’s get onto the shiny.

Brian Holt with Jag Precision PHX-15.

First up is Jag Precision’s own M4 offering, the JAG PHX-15 that will be available in three lengths; short, medium and long. It is going to come with full aluminum metal body, M-LOK rail, ambidextrous controls and their PHX-15 stock which is capable of holding a larger style LiPo batt ery. It will also come with a torque style motor, rotary style hop-up, and last but not least, a MOSFET Next up is the Modify XTC featuring a 6061 billet aluminum receiver, keymod rail, a unique-to-airsoft 45-degree selector system, straight trigger and quick-change spring guide on steroids. The spring guide is set up on grooves inside the bu? er tube and will allow for an approximate 30 FPS change. It also has a flip down style crane stock that allows for easier access to the battery compartment.

More information can be found at Jagprecision.com or their Facebook page, JagPrecision Now that I’ve got your tax refunds spent, American readers, let’s get into filing for bankruptcy. Let’s head into the ZSHOT booth and see what is new and exciting. It’s always nice to be greeted by great people like Kyle Noe from AMS/ZSHOT. I met Kyle in Playas, New Mexico in 2015 as the COST CO for AMS Operation Copperhead and we have become fast friends.

What does ZSHOT have up their sleeves? How about some open source, 3D-printed adapters for their wildly popular M12 Sidewinder speed loaders? So far, the offerings are for MP5, G36, and AK style magazines.

You can be on the lookout for the links and release of these on ZSHOT’s Facebook page and website zSHOT.com.

Now that I have hiked roughly 10 miles to get to all these booths, let’s get some water, have a snack, and head over to the RedwolfUSA airsoft booth. Because let’s be real, I support great people and there are no finer people than the crew at Redwolf. I mean have you been to their player’s lounge at AMS events? They’re always offering players free drinks and a place to sit down and share their bbwar stories. Many don’t know that Redwolf USA’s Robert Manore, US Army Veteran, drives to all of the events he attends from his home in Colorado in order to provide that for players, which I ?nd very admirable. But enough of getting you in the feels.

What’s new from RWA? Agency Arms/ RWA Urban Combat Slide set for the TM and WE G17 pistol series. The upgrade will feature a 1:1 replica of Agency Arms Urban Combat modification. The set is going to include a slide, outer barrel, and adjustable flat faced trigger. Sorry, Redwolf Tim will not be included in the package.

My final stop for the show had to be at Professional Training Systems (PTS) booth, where I met Jef Takeda. After introductions, he realized that we had airsofted together at Operation Lion Claws Tactical Challenge in Mojave, CA. We began sharing some bbwar stories and getting to know each other better.

Bob Li from ASG with CZ Bren 805 Rifle.

Jeff then explained the new PTS Unity Tactical Atom Slide kits for TM G series pistols. These slides are OEMed by Guns Modify, and I have used a lot of their products in my own builds. This is a nojoke kit, and comes with so many parts I would have to write another article to cover it all. Basically, all you will need is a spring guide, spring, hop-up chamber, TM
G series lower, and few miscellaneous parts to have a complete gun. The RMR is not included in the kit, but it does come with a nifty cover plate if you choose not to use one.

So that about sums up what I saw and what I thought was new and interesting at SHOT Show 2016. While SHOT show is an industry professional show, it’s still all about the friends, the fun, and the airsoft . Remember to meet someone new and tell them about airsoft . That way, we can truly grow airsoft and share what an amazing sport we have.So that about sums up what I saw and what I thought was new and interesting at SHOT Show 2016. While SHOT show is an industry professional show, it’s still all about the friends, the fun, and the airsoft . Remember to meet someone new and tell them about airsoft . That way, we can truly grow airsoft and share what an amazing sport we have.